This is a teaser.  Right now it's still a teaser; I haven't written the story.
I may, depending on how people react.  Is it worth continuing this into a real
story?
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Tokyo, 2033.

Reading newspapers in Megatokyo was a continuing battle, between the big
corporations, who liked the media to go their way, and the people, who if they
had retained enough cynicism to not believe everything they read, soon grew
expert at reading between the lines.

The story about the shuttle accident at the Genaros space station was buried
on page 23.  The space station was owned by a corporation.  Therefore, any
minor accident would not be in the news at all, and the fact that the story
got even an inch of column space meant that something important had happened.
The article claimed that the shuttle which left the station and crashed in
Tokyo was empty.  Of course, it wasn't.

                                     * * *

Sylvie took a look at Anri's injuries.  They were beginning to show some
signs of healing, but boomers like them really couldn't heal like human
beings.  "I'm going out, Anri.  I hope I don't have to do this too much
longer...  we weren't designed to be on our own, and there are things that
must be done if we're to stay free...."

Sylvie left the room, threw the door shut, and walked to the curb where her
motorcycle was parked.  It was unlicensed, of course, but then that was the
least of the laws she was breaking.  She had to take human blood for the sake
of Anri's survival, and she knew there would be someone out there, among the
polluted skies and electric lights, to serve as her next victim.  There was no
choice but to do it; they had been through too much and could not just give up
on survival now.  She mounted her motorcycle and prepared to ride to another
district; it wouldn't do to have all the mysterious vampire killings all be
centered around her and Anri's low-rent flat.

A blonde woman riding an older motorcycle stopped besides her at the next
traffic light, waving at her.  "Hi!  Traffic's really heavy tonight, don't you
think?"

Sylvie absentmindedly nodded.  She wanted to be friends with people--in fact,
it was virtually built into her--but she also had a job to do, one which would
set herself even farther apart from the humanity that she and Anri were hoping
to blend into.  "Hai.  I think it's the wreck."

The blonde agreed.  "It's been heavy around here ever since that shuttle
crashed and they rerouted most of the traffic.  Say, it's rare to see another
woman who rides bikes.  Do you live around here?"

"Not really.  I'm just visiting the area", answered Sylvie.  The light changed
to green.  "Bye", said Sylvie.  "Maybe we can meet for coffee somewhere later
when I'm not so busy."

Sylvie zoomed off towards a drainage ditch a block away, and drove right off
the road.  The DD suit that she and Anri had escaped with was good for military
use.  And of course, good against civilians too.  She had hidden it in an
obscure place, but there was always some chance it would be discovered.  Still,
she would use it while she still could.

As Sylvie walked towards the machine, her sharp ear sensors picked up the sound
of a motorcycle engine.  She looked out onto the road.  It was the blonde, the
one she just met.  The woman had been following her!  If that woman saw her
enter the machine, she might be in a lot of trouble.  Maybe she only happened
to be coming this way, though, and would pass by; she seemed like a nice
person and Sylvie didn't want to hurt more people than absolutely necessary.

No luck.  The blonde stopped her bike and got off, then leapt down into the
ditch.  She was only about twenty feet behind Sylvie and would catch her at
any moment.  There was one chance.

Sylvie looked directly into the approaching blonde's eyes and did something.
For her, it was as natural as moving an arm or leg is for a human being.  The
effect was a slight eye glow, and a wave of psychic energy which could
arouse...  or deaden.  She waited the few seconds for the woman to drop
unconscious, still not sure what to do with her.

The woman didn't drop.  Her eyes widened in surprise, but not only didn't she
drop, she didn't even seem fazed.  She reached out and grabbed the equally
surprised Sylvie's arm.  "Hold it."

Sylvie struggled to break free.  She was much stronger than a human--strong
enough that she could land on her feet after jumping thirty feet down--even
though she was no match for a combat boomer.  But somehow she couldn't break
this woman's grip.  Must be cybernetically enhanced, thought Sylvie.  Or
maybe even a renegade boomer herself.  But if that woman was a boomer, she must
be a 33-S or similar model, since she didn't seem capable of combat expansion,
and all 33-S's were outlawed years ago almost everywhere on Earth.

"You're coming with me", said the woman.  The look in her eyes wasn't one of
distaste, as Sylvie expected most humans to feel when they realized that
someone who passed for human wasn't at all, but...  curiosity.  "Don't worry",
she continued, "I'm not going to turn you in, if you can explain this to me."

Explain...  that was impossible.  "No!" cried Sylvie.  "Let me go!"

"Take it _easy_.  It's obvious you're a boomer, considering that little eye
trick you just used.  That doesn't matter to me.  If I didn't think you could
explain anyway, I wouldn't be asking you.  You don't realize it yet, but I
suspect that meeting me may be the luckiest break of your life."

People did not talk to boomers that way.  They just didn't.  But this one
did.  "All right", answered Sylvie.  "I'll explain.  Oh, and my name is
Sylvie."  Sylvie bowed.  "It's...  it's nice to meet you."

The blonde bowed back.  "Honey Kisaragi.  Nice meeting you too."

                                     * * *
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